It’s fall again, when pecans and apples start showing up in our local grocery stores and farmer’s markets. To celebrate, I decided to create this delectable salad and dressing. This is a simple recipe that uses the best flavors of the fall season. So get to making this pecan and apple salad.

This salad has all the flavors of fall, including sweet pecans, tangy apples, and a maple-sweet, creamy dressing that makes this dish a real showstopper!

The combination of crunchiness from the nuts and softness from the apple is divine. However, I wanted to give it a twist and add a creamy mustard maple dressing. It turned out beautifully! The tart flavor of the dressing goes perfectly with the sweet, juicy apple slices. The creaminess and tang from the dressing adds another dimension to the salad.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did.

A Perfect Fall or Thanksgiving Salad

If you’re looking for healthier options this holiday season, then you might be interested in this salad.

I’ve made a few Thanksgiving-focused recipes on the site before like family Thanksgiving punch, Thanksgiving sage roasted turkey, and my simple turkey gravy. But this one is focused less on the holiday itself and more on the general fall season.

The goal was to use fall ingredients to make a tasty salad that took full advantage of the flavors that are most associated with the season.

This fall salad uses apples, pears, pecans, feta, pomegranates, and dried cranberries. These sit atop the bed of fresh greens. And then the dressing brings in a warm mustard flavor that is tempered with the addition of maple to sweeten it up.

The dressing adds a touch of sweetness with a nice, warm tang. The dried cranberries add a nice bit of color and texture. And they pair well with the dressing, making for a nice, tart, and colorful salad.

Make the Creamy Mustard Maple Dressing

Typically, my first step in prepping a salad is getting the dressing made.

I want the dressing prepped and chilling so its flavors will have more time to meld together and it’ll be ready to go when the rest of the salad is prepped.

For this salad, the warmth of a honey-mustard dressing was appealing. But to make it more fall-themed, I chose to sub the honey with maple syrup. And then for even more added warmth I included some typical fall spices.

The dressing is my favorite part of this recipe. It is so creamy and flavorful. I think a big reason why I enjoy it so much is because I made it myself. And making homemade salad dressings is actually quite easy.

The dressing for this salad is a vinaigrette at its core. As a vinaigrette, this has two main ingredients. Vinegar and oil. Then we dress it up with other items to add flavor.

Our flavor mainly comes from the mustard, maple, cinnamon, and cloves.

Using a blender or food processor makes this a super easy recipe. Just toss everything in and blend it together. Try to pulse it so that you don’t run it too long and overheat anything. If you don’t have either of those tools, then finely chop everything and whisk it all together in a bowl.

It’s a combination of ingredients that all come together well. The dressing can be used for a variety of dishes and for many different occasions. So don’t feel like you are limited to using this dressing on just this apple and pecan salad.

Prep the Pecan and Apple Salad

Luckily, prepping most salads is pretty easy. Take everything out, chop or slice what you need to and you’re basically prepped.

This one takes a little bit more effort, but only due to the inclusion of one ingredient that people are probably less familiar with – the pomegranate.

With the dressing made, get out the apple, pear, and pomegranate. Wash all of the fruit and then cut the apple and pear into slices.

For the pomegranate, you’ll want to slice it in half. Take one half in a hand and then hit it on the back over a bowl with a spatula or wooden spoon. This will help dislodge most of the seeds. You may then need to fish the more stubborn ones out. See this guide for more details on getting pomegranate seeds out.

Once you have the dressing made, the fruit chopped, and the pomegranate seeds out, we’re ready to go.

Assemble the Pecan and Apple Salad

This delicious pecan and apple salad is almost ready to serve to your family. But there are a few different options for serving this salad.

Start with a large salad bowl and add the mixed greens to it.

Now, decide whether you’d like to mix everything together or leave everything in individual bowls so people can build their own salads.

For mixing it all together, there are also two options: with or without dressing. Including the dressing will make it easy and quick to serve, but it will mean that there can be no leftovers because the lettuce greens will wilt badly after just a few hours in the dressing.

If you plan on serving this for a group, then you might want to consider putting the toppings in individual bowls. This way, everyone can choose what goes into their own salad. On the plus side, this method is quite useful if there are individuals with allergies or sensitivities. Because they can simply avoid toppings as needed.

The pecan and apple salad is a great combination. It’s crunchy, sweet, and tangy.

What to Serve with the Pecan and Apple Salad

This pecan and apple salad can be a meal on its own or used as a great addition to the main course. The combination of fall produce with the mustard maple dressing is just mouthwatering.

The fresh ingredients make this salad vibrant. If you’re planning on serving this salad at your next holiday party, then you’ll want to buy some decorative dishes and bowls. You can also get creative by using different kinds of fruits, vegetables, or nuts.

You can upgrade this dish with some grilled chicken, crispy crumbled bacon, or roasted (or leftover) turkey to add some more protein. Serve some dinner rolls on the side and then use them to mop up all of the leftover salad dressing so not one drop is wasted.

In the end, this is really just a salad, so you could serve it as a side with almost anything. But it really works well with other fall and winter flavors or dishes.

Try using some candied nuts like my candied walnuts or cinnamon-candied sliced almonds to add even sweeter notes to the salad.

The pecan and apple salad is a great addition to your fall or winter table, no matter how you serve it up.

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try this salad and dressing combo! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Pecan and Apple Salad with Creamy Mustard Maple Dressing

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SaladsDifficulty: Easy

Servings

5

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Total time

20

minutes

This pecan and apple salad is a great dish for any fall or winter dinner! It’s full of flavor and is a delicious way to enjoy fall flavors.

Ingredients

• Creamy Mustard Maple Dressing

• 3/4 cup olive oil

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons stone ground mustard

• 1 small shallot

• 1 clove garlic

• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/8 tsp ground cloves

• 1/8 tsp kosher salt

• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper

• Pecan and Apple Salad

• 1/2 cup pecans

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

• 1 pomegranate

• 1 large apple

• 1 large pear

• 8 cups of 50/50 spinach and spring mix lettuce

Directions

• Creamy Mustard Maple Dressing
• Blend together all of the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor, pulsing for 10 seconds at a time until smooth
• Store the dressing in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use, stores for up to 2 weeks
• Pecan and Apple Salad
• Wash and slice the apple and pear, cut the pomegranate in half and remove the seeds by hitting each uncut side of the pomegranate over a bowl until the seeds fall out
• Mix together the spinach and spring mix in a large bowl
• Top the greens with the pecans, cranberries, feta, pomegranate seeds, apple slices, and pear slices
• Drizzle with the creamy mustard maple dressing from above and serve

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The post Pecan and Apple Salad with Creamy Mustard Maple Dressing appeared first on Do You Roux?.

I’m not gonna lie, it is kind of an involved recipe to make your own ravioli at home. But when you can get this delicious cheese and pear ravioli filling as a result… mmmmmmm is it worth it.

It’s been blazing hot outside, but mother nature finally decided to blow in some cool weather and rain. So it is beginning to feel like fall outside. And what better way to celebrate than trying to come up with a delicious meal to eat?

This creamy two-cheese ravioli is loaded with tangy gorgonzola and slightly sweet ricotta. Combined with the pears and herbs, it’s sure to be a hit however you serve it. The secret to the filling is just a quick cook all together until the pears are just soft.

So, if you’re up for a little bit of a kitchen adventure, then walk through this pear ravioli recipe with me.

Making the Cheese and Pear Filling

To try and get that fall flavor, I wanted to use ingredients that would be freshest at this time. So I got some sage and thyme from the garden and then bought some pears, shallots, gorgonzola, and ricotta from the store.

Melt the small amount of butter in a pan. I know, it should totally be more butter than this for sauteeing something. But, we don’t want too much liquid in the filling. It is just much easier to work with the drier the final result is. So please use a little constraint. I know it is difficult.

With the butter melted and the pan hot, add in the shallots

Once the cheese sauce has finished cooking, you’ll want to add in the shredded mozzarella. Once the cheese has melted, you can remove the pan from the stove. Now, you’ll be ready to fill the raviolis.

For this part of the process, you will need to take a piece of fresh pastry. This is because you will be using it to cover each of your filled ravioli. You will then lay down a strip of the cheese and pear filling. Next, you will fold the top half of the pastry over the bottom half.

Homemade Dough and Other Options

I love homemade pasta. There is nothing like the taste of fresh noodles made from scratch. And you can totally use your own homemade dough to make this ravioli. Just check out my recipe for homemade pasta if you want to give it a try – you’ll need two batches of that recipe to make this ravioli.

I typically make my own pasta dough in a KitchenAid stand mixer, let it rest in the fridge for the required time, and then roll it out using the KitchenAid pasta roller attachment. It makes things a whole lot faster when making pasta. But there are tools and methods to make it all by hand if that’s your jam.

Plus, there are other options if you don’t want to or have the time to make pasta dough.

Most stores do not carry fresh pasta dough. However, they frequently carry refrigerated or frozen wonton wrappers. And those are almost the perfect size for making this ( or any other) pear ravioli at home. Instead of using a ravioli maker or a pastry wheel, just lay the single sheets out and place the filling in the center. Lightly wet the edges, place a second wrapper on top, and then crimp the edges with a fork.

You can also use a single wonton wrapper with filling in the center, folded in half on itself and pressed together for smaller pasta.

How to Fill the Pear Ravioli

I tried making the ravioli two different ways, both using homemade pasta. The first was by using this ravioli maker and press.

First off, if you are using this, make sure to use olive oil to grease the form before you put any pasta into it. Otherwise, it will be a nightmare to get the pasta out, and you may ruin some or all of the ravioli in the process. Definitely not speaking from experience here…

Roll the pasta out flat and cut out two sheets that will fit the ravioli maker. A little overhang on all sides is a good thing. Add one of the sheets to the ravioli maker. Then press down with the bumpy plastic thing into the holes to indent the pasta sheet.

Now, spoon the filling into each indent – making sure not to overfill. It was like 1/2 to 3/4 of a tablespoon. Too much filling means it’ll be more likely to burst open when trying to cook it. With all of the pasta filled, place the second sheet of pasta on top and make sure it all lines up.

Then use a rolling pin to smoothly roll the top pasta sheet down into the form. This will both seal and cut the pasta. And then you should be able to turn it over and give it a whack or two to make the pasta fall out.

Rolling and Cutting Homemade Ravioli

The second method for ravioli making takes a little more judgment on your part. Without a set form, you are the one guessing the right spacing and making sure everything lines up well. But, there are no chances of the pasta sticking to a form and tearing apart when trying to push it out. So there’s that.

To make this dish, you need to roll out the dough into thin sheets. Make sure it is pretty thin, otherwise, the final ravioli will be quite thick since we stack two sheets together to make the pasta.

Get two mostly similar-sized sheets and lay them out on your work surface. On one of the pasta sheets, place 1/2 to 3/4 a tablespoon of pear and cheese filling about 1/2 an inch apart from each other.

Once all of the filling you can fit on a sheet is placed, wet the areas between all of the filling. Now place the second pasta sheet on top of the one with the filling. Press down all of the areas where the pasta touches together. Then use a pastry wheel, bench scraper, pizza wheel, or whatever you’d like to cut the ravioli apart from each other.

Cooking and Serving the Pear Ravioli

So, now that you have a bunch of ravioli cut out, it is time to cook it up. Luckily, the cooking happens rather quickly. Just get a large pot of salted water boiling over high heat.

For cooking fresh ravioli, it is best to do it in batches. This helps prevent overcrowding and makes it less likely that any of your precious ravioli will burst while cooking. I like to use a spider strainer to pull them out when they have finished and still keep the boiling water ready for the next batch. A mesh strainer or possibly a slotted spoon could also work.

The pasta will cook for about 5 to 7 minutes. So be ready to pull them out when they’re cooked through.

For serving your ravioli, try the following:

• Brown Butter Sage Sauce (the most popular recipe on the site to date)
• Creamy White Wine Sauce
• Butter and Walnut Sauce
• Crispy Fried Ravioli with Marinara Sauce

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try making homemade pear ravioli! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Creamy Two Cheese Pear Ravioli

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Appetizers, EntreesDifficulty: Hard

Servings

5

servings

Prep time

1

hour 

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

15

minutes

Flavorful fall ravioli filled with pears, two kinds of cheese, and some fragrant sage and thyme. Should make about 50 filled ravioli.

Ingredients

• 3 bosc pears

• 1 small shallot

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

• 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh sage

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

• 1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese

• 100 wonton wrappers or 8 fresh pasta sheets (double the linked recipe)

• Small bowl of water

Directions

• Peel and cut the pear into 1/4-inch pieces, and mince the shallot
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add the pears, shallot, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper, and cook for about 10 minutes while stirring until the pears just get soft
• Add the gorgonzola and ricotta cheese to the pan and stir until melted, about 3 minutes
• Remove the pear mixture from the heat, transfer it to a bowl, and place it in the fridge to chill at least 20 minutes
• While the pear filling is chilling, get out your pasta sheets or wonton wrappers and place them out on a lightly floured work surface with the small bowl of water nearby – if you are using a ravioli maker then have that ready to go at this step, spread a bit of olive oil so the pasta won’t stick, place a pasta sheet on top, and press down to make indents for filling
• When the filling has chilled, remove it from the fridge and get out a small spoon to use when filling the ravioli
• Start spooning about 1/2 a tablespoon of filling either in the divots that the ravioli maker has made, onto the individual wonton sheets, or spaced about 1/2 inch apart from each other on the sheets of pasta
• Wet your fingers in the small bowl of water and then run them along the edges of the pasta or wonton wrappers, rewetting as necessary, until all outlines of ravioli are damp
• Cover the pasta sheets with a second sheet of pasta and cover the wonton wrappers with another wrapper, then press everything together to seal the wet edges
• For the wonton wrappers, use a fork to press down the edges for a better seal, use a rolling pin on top of the ravioli maker and then push the ravioli out when finished, and for the pasta sheets use a pastry wheel or knife to cut out the individual ravioli
• Repeat the process until all of the ravioli have been filled but, while working on the last batch of ravioli, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and then finish filling the rest of the ravioli
• In batches, add around 9 ravioli to the boiling water and cook until ravioli begin to float, about 3 minutes then use a spider strainer or slotted spoon to remove the pasta to a plate
• Repeat until all ravioli have been cooked, and then serve with any desired finishes

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The post Delicious Creamy Two Cheese Pear Ravioli Recipe appeared first on Do You Roux?.

For the longest time whenever I pictured a salad it was just a bland side salad that only really tasted good because it was doused in ranch dressing. And gorgonzola on a salad would never cross my mind. Perhaps that is why I would always turn up my nose whenever my wife would suggest salad for dinner. My canned response was that salad was not a meal. It was an afterthought on the side that you put on your plate if you had extra room.

How very wrong I was. My eyes were not yet opened. It took time to realize how much variety was possible with the simple salad. Instead of thinking just about the greens of the salad, think of all the toppings and what makes the salad unique. I mean, a salad with a fried and breaded chicken breast on top. Delicious.

I also did not approve of blue cheese for the longest time but came to my senses on that as well all because of one delicious meal. But that’s a story for another day.

Frying for Gorgonzola Pear Salad?

This will win no awards as the world’s healthiest salad. But I’m ok with that. Just look at that chicken up there in the photo. Breaded, pan-fried, delicious. Make sure to flatten the chicken to a relatively even thickness. This ensures that it will cook through evenly and will be fully cooked before any of the breadcrumbs start to burn. I actually had an extra breaded chicken breast from this recipe and had that for lunch the next day with just a squeeze of fresh lemon on top.

Heat and salads don’t typically mix. Greens like to wilt with higher temperatures. However, it is best to serve this salad with the chicken still warm. Not straight off the pan, you will need it to cool down enough to handle and slice. And at that point, it is ready to be served.

Salads really are all about how the different ingredients play off of each other for balance and this one has a perfect mix of fresh, sweet, creamy, salty, and crispy. So, bust out your salad bowl, get out your largest frying pan, and enjoy a homemade salad.

Gorgonzola Pear Salad with Chicken

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SaladsDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Total time

40

minutes

Salad with a tangy gorgonzola punch, pan-fried breaded chicken, and sweet juicy pears.

Ingredients

• Dressing

• 1 clove of garlic

• 1 small shallot

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• Breaded Chicken

• 2 cups panko bread crumbs

• 2 cups flour

• 1 tablespoon salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 2 eggs

• 4 chicken breasts

• 2 tablespoons butter, divided

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• Salad

• 2 ripe red Anjou pears

• 1 cup walnuts

• 3 ounces crumbled gorgonzola cheese

• 10 ounces arugula (or other mixed greens)

Directions

• Make the dressing by blending together the first 8 ingredients, then pour into a container and chill until ready to serve the salad.
• Pound chicken to 1/2 inch thick. I put mine in a gallon Ziploc and then used the flat side of a meat tenderizer to flatten the chicken.
• Prepare dredges for breading the chicken by getting three wide bowls or plates and putting the breadcrumbs in one, whisking the two eggs together in another, and mixing the flour, salt, and pepper together in the third.
• Coat chicken in flour on both sides, dip into the egg mixture to cover, and then crust it in breadcrumbs. Place the chicken aside on a plate. Repeat for all of the chicken.
• In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat. Add 2 pieces of coated chicken and fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side. Place on a plate with paper towels. Repeat with the other two chicken breasts using remaining butter and olive oil.
• Once the chicken has cooled enough to touch, cut into 1/2 inch slices.
• Core and slice pears.
• Assemble the salad in a large bowl with a bed of arugula, pears, blue cheese, and walnuts. Add chicken and drizzle with dressing.

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